Pakistan has carried out precision strikes on 10 locations inside Afghanistan after recent drone intrusions from the Taliban side. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed the action in the early hours of Thursday and described it as a clear exercise of the country’s right to self defence.
According to the minister the targets were sites used for launching and storing drones that had earlier entered Pakistani airspace. He stressed that the operation remained deliberate precise calibrated and strictly limited to identified military objectives linked to the attempted attacks.
The strikes came just one day after Pakistani air defence systems successfully shot down eight drones that crossed into the country from Afghanistan. Security sources revealed that four of those drones were intercepted near the Torkham border while the other four were destroyed in the mountainous areas around Kohat. None of the drones managed to reach their intended targets.
Tarar strongly condemned the earlier drone incursion calling it a blatant violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He said Islamabad has for years raised serious concerns with the Afghan Taliban about terrorist sanctuaries operating from Afghan soil. Instead of taking action the Taliban regime chose to escalate the situation through hostile drone operations.
The minister made it clear that Pakistan will neither accept nor tolerate any attacks launched from Afghan territory whether by terrorist groups or by the Taliban authorities themselves. Any further violation of sovereignty will meet an immediate and decisive response he warned.
At the same time Tarar underlined that Pakistan does not seek escalation and remains committed to regional peace dialogue and constructive engagement. However this commitment should never be mistaken for weakness. The country will defend its territory its people and its national security with full resolve.
Cross border militancy has risen sharply in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil Haq earlier this year after earlier border clashes and a temporary ceasefire. Despite multiple rounds of talks the core issue of militant groups using Afghan soil against Pakistan remains unresolved.
Islamabad has once again called on the Afghan Taliban to immediately stop all hostile activity and fulfil its international obligations by taking concrete verifiable action against terrorist entities. Afghan territory must not be allowed to serve as a launch pad for attacks on Pakistan
